Cheese-cutter.



PATENTED MAY 22, 1906.

A. C. LA MAY. CHEESE CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED 0015. 1905'.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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APPLICATION FILED 00T.5. 1905,

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR 0. LA MAY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO D. O. GILES, OF ELMIRA, NEW YORK.

CHEESE-CUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 22, 1906.

Anplicatiou filed October 5, 1905. Serial No. 281,375.

.T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR C. LA MAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented an Improved Cheese-Cutter, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cheese-cutters of that class in which the cheese is supported upon a revoluble table provided with an operating-handle for rotating the table and a scale and stops for controlling the motion of the operating handle so as to give to the table carryin the cheese any desired angular motion upon its center. In such machines there is usually arranged a knife having a vertical plane of motion, such knife arranged to be moved up and down for the purpose of cutting the cheese.

The essential features of my present invention consist in means for adjusting the height of the pivotal point or aXis of motion of the cutting-knife, means for angularly adjusting the plane of the motion of the knife, together also with means for adjusting the plane of the cutting-blade relatively to the plane of its motion.

A further feature of my present invention consists in the character of the limiting-stop for controlling the movement of the handle which operates the cheese-carrying table.

Another feature consists in such an arrangement of the operating-handle that it may move inwardly and outwardly in a direction practically radial to the revoluble cheese-carrying table and in the location on such operating-handle of a scale which is concealed except during the operation of the handle and the handle itself when in its closed position forms no obstruction upon which articles may be caught and the cheese-carrying table accidentally operated.

Still another feature consists in the combination, with such handle as just before described, of a pawl-box guided independently of the cheese-carrying table and by or upon the frame of the machine and arranged to swing or move upon a center practically concentric with the center of the cheese-carrying table. I provide also a spring-lock for holding the operating-handle in its inmost position.

By means of the above-enumerated fea tures of construction I am enabled to overcome some of the difliculties present in cheese-cutters as heretofore constructed, viz: The operating-handle is not likely to be enaged and accidentally operated or moved. The pawl-box being supported and guided independently of the cheese-carrying table, there is no danger, in the backward or return motion of such pawl-box, of carrying the cheese-table backward and there is less friction in such an arrangement. By providing for an adjustment in height of the pivotal support for the cutting-blade and also for an adjustment of, the plane of motion of such cutting-blade and, still further, for an adjustment of the plane of the blade relative to its plane of motion I am enabled to compensate for any reasonable degree of wear in the blade and to provide that the plane of motion of the blade shall always be vertical or, more properly speaking, at right angles with the plane of the cheese-carrying table and also for any desired degree of clearance to obviate any crowding action of the knife in cutting the cheese, and I am also enabled thereby to provide that the plane of the blade shall always lie within the plane of its motion when desired.

I also provide an adjustable brake for opposing the rotation of the cheese-carrying board in order to retain the same in any position to which it may have been moved and afford an even and smooth resistance to its rotation.

The several drawings illustrating my invention are as follows: Figure 1 is a side view of one modification of my machine complete. Fig. 2 is a top view with the cheese-carrying board and knife removed. Fig. 3 is a sec tional view taken along the dotted line a: y of Fig. 2 with the parts below and to the right of such line removed. Fig. 4.- is a sectional view taken along the dotted line it y in Fig. 2 and shows in detail the arrangement of the adjustable brake. Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the dottedline 06 3 of Fig. 2 and shows the method of supporting the operating-slide from the under side of the radial arms of the base. Fig. 6 is atop view of the base of the machine with all of the operating mechanism and knife removed. Fig. 7 is a top view of the operating mechanism. Figs. 8 and 9 are side and top views of a modification of my machine in which the knifehandle is conformed to encircle the base instead of continued from the top of the knife, as shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 10 and 11 are detailed views of mechanism for retaining the adjustable stop securely in position and are taken, respectively, from the inside of the base and transversely through the center of such mechanism. Fig. 12 is an enlarged top view of the scale used on the operating-slide of the machine.

As seen in the several drawings, my machine consists, essentially, of the base B, supporting by suitable mechanism the cheesecarrying board B u on which the cheese C is centrally located an prevented from moving angularly by means of the projecting blades 0. The base B has a pro ection B, carrying the adjusting-screws s, supporting the bracket 01, having arms (1, forming the bearings of the knife K. This knife K is rigidly secured in a suitable handle and frame H, the left-hand endof which is extended into a flange suitably held by bolts 6 to the member a, pivoted on bolts 1) in the u per ends of the arms (1. The bolts 6 pass t rough suitable clearances in the flange f to provide for an adjustment of the plane of the knife K relatively to the axis of the member a, so that the knife K may have more or less clearance, as desired, when making the cut through the cheese.

The bracket d is held securely upon the screws 8 by means of bolts 6 as indicated. When it is desired to adjust the angle of the cut or the height of the knife relatively to the board B the bolts 1) are loosened and the screws 8 are adjusted from the under side of the base, and then the bolts 6 are tightened. In this way the wear of the knife K may be compensated for. The base B has radial arms a and a extending inwardly and su porting at its center, by means of a bolt the ratchet-wheel r, to which the cheeseboard B is secured by suitable screws passing through the holes 1 in the arms 1" of the wheel 7". This wheel 1" is provided on its periphery with teeth for engaging a series of springawls 0, carried in a pawl-box e sup-.

ported y a radial arm 6, pivoted on the bolt b*, by which the wheel 1" is operated. The

. pawl-box e has formed on its left-hand side,

as seen in Fig. 2, a lug 6 to which there is pivotally secured at p the right-hand end of the link w, the left-hand end of which is pivotally secured at p to the short arm of the lever it. .This lever u is pivoted at p to an arm a connecting the base with the arm (L The longer arm of this lever u is pivotally connectedat p with the right-hand end of the link It, the left-hand end of which is pivotally connected at p with the left-hand end of the operating-slide 7c, supported from the under side of the arms a and a near the center of the base. -As indicated in Fig. 5, the slide 7c is supported by a bar of, separated from the arm a by suitable blocks a a little thicker than the slide 7c and arranged to perv mitsuch'slide to move freely between them.

thereby, are rotated to the left.

The several parts are secured by] suitable screws 8 to the central portion of t e arms a and (1 as indicated. The slide extends through the front of the base, as indicated,

and terminates in a finger-hold k. As a result of the construction just described it will be observed that when the slide k is drawn out, as indicated by the dotted lines, the link t is moved to the right, the lever u is rotated to the left, the link to is moved to the left, and the arm 6, carrying the pawl-box e ,is rotated to the left upon the bolt 6 and the wheel 1" and the cheese-board B carried From the short end of the lever 10 an arm it extends downwardly and to the right, as seen in Fig. 2, and is arranged to ass under the link w and engage an adjusta le screw-stop v, supported by the base B, as indicated. The head of this screw-stop v is suitably graduated and arranged to cooperate with graduations on a fixed index '0, so that such stop may be readily adjusted to any desired set ting relatively to the arm u. When the slide is is drawn out, it is moved until the arm 11/ engages the inner end of the stop 4). To facilitate the setting of the stop 1), a suitable scale k is secured upon the upper face of the slide it and is read by bringing the desired indication on such scale opposite to the outer edge of that part of the base directly over such slide 7c. To prevent the operation of the slide 7c when it is not desired to rotate the cheese 0, a bell-crank lock n, pivoted at p to a lug a, formed on the base B, is provided and carries at its left-hand end a projection arranged to engage the notch k formed in the slide is. This lock n is pivotally connected, as seen in Fig. 2, with a push-bar m, extending through the base B. A spring n normally holds the lock n in engagement with the notch k and when it is desired to release the slide is the push-bar m is moved inwardly.

In order to provide an even resistance to the motion of thewheel 1", a bent bar g of any suitable material is held firmly against a rabbet formed in the outer edge of the wheel 1" by means of the bolt 6 passing through the arm a, permitting an adjustment of the pressure upon the bar g exerted by the spring h, held between the arm a and the nut on such bolt 5 As seen in Figs. 3 and 6, a lug a is formed on the arm a to support the outer end of the arm 6 and the pawl-box 6 As seen inFigs. 10 and 11, the adjustable screw-stop '0 may be held in any desired adjustment by means of a split nut a, secured by screws 8 to the inside of the base B, as indicated.

A modified knife-handle is shown in Figs. 8 and 9, consisting in a ring H of suitable metallic rod bent at its ends to pass into suitable holes in bosses f formed on the flange f to whichthe frame H of the knife K is secured. This flangef is secured to the member a as already described by suitable bolts 12. The ring or handle H is secured in the bosses means of suitable set-screws W, as indicated. It will be observed that the handle H is arranged to prevent the operation of the slide 7c when such handle is in its operated or downmost position, which is a condition to be desired, since the slide is ought only to be operated when the handle and knife are raised so as to clear the knife from the cheese.

The scale In and adjustable screw 1) are so graduated that one operation of the slide 7c will move the cheese C angularly, either a fixed weight of cheese or a fixed money value, as desired, according to the total weight of the cheese. For instance, if it is desired to sell a quarter of a pound of cheese for each operation of the slide 7c, the cheese is weighed before placing on the cheese-board B and then the adjusting-screw v is regulated until the extreme outward motion of the slide 16 will bring the figure on the scale 76 corresponding to the weight of the cheese just in line with the outside edge of the base B. Then each complete motion of the slide 7c will rotate the cheese-board B angularly to the left, so as to cause one-quarter of a pound of cheese to pass by the knife K. Again, if it be desired to sell a certain definite money value of cheese for each operation of the slide 7c, after weighing the cheese the total return that must be made from the same is estimated. Then the adjusting-screwvis regulated until this total amount on the scale k comes in line with the outside edge of the base, when the slide 7c is in its extreme righthand position. Then for each complete operation of the slide is a certain definite money value of cheese, say five cents worth, will be caused to move angularly to the left past the knife K. It will at once be understood that there is a definite and fixed relation between the readings on the graduated screw-stop v and on the fixed index 1) for each desired angular motion of the cheese-table and that such screw-stop o and such cooperating scales on the screw-stop o and on the fixed index 4) constitute means for gaging and ad justably limiting the motion of the operating mechanism of my cheese-cutter independently of any scale on the slide k. The graduations on such screw-stop o and index 4) may be arranged in any method according to any desired system to suit the convenience of the user. The graduations on the screwstop 1) and the indexv maybe used in accordance with any table, if desired, which may of course be made in accordance with the character of such graduations. Again, the graduations on the slide is may be of one denomination or of one character, while the graduations on the stop 1) and the index 1) may be used to indicate the values of a different denomination. The operation of my machine is believed to be so thoroughly obvious as to call for no further description herein.

What I claim is 1. In a cheese-cutting machine, a base, a cheese-carrying board revolubly supported on such base, a cutting-blade, an arm for carrying such blade, a standard carrying a bearing fixed therein for such arm, and means for rigidly securing and adjusting such standard vertically on such base.

2. In a cheese-cutting machine, a revoluble cheese-carrying board, a cutting-blade pivotally supported to swing upon an axis practically parallel with the plane of the board and means for adjusting such pivotal support to vary the plane of motion of such cutting-blade relatively to the plane of such board.

8. In a cheese-cutting machine, a revoluble cheese-carrying board, a cutting-blade pivotally supported to swing upon an axis practically parallel with the plane of the board and means for adjusting such blade relatively to the plane of motion thereof.

4. In a cheese-cutting machine, a revoluble cheese-carrying board, mechanism for moving such board angularly on its center and for actuating such mechanism an operating element arranged to reciprocate in a direction practically radial to such cheese-carrying board.

5. In a cheese-cutting machine, a revoluble cheese-carrying board, mechanism for moving such board angularly on its center, for actuating such mechanism an operating element arranged to reciprocate in a direction practically radial to such cheese-carrying board and means for locking such operating element in its inmost position.

6. In a cheese-cutting machine, a revolu ble cheese-carrying board, mechanism for moving such board angularly on its center, for actuating such mechanism an operating element arranged to reciprocate in a direction practically radial to such cheese-carry- IIO ing board and a scale carried by such operating element arranged to be concealed within the machine when such element is in its inmost position.

7. In a cheese-cutting machine, a revoluble. cheese-carrying board, mechanism for moving such board angularly on its center, for actuating such mechanism an operating element arranged to reciprocate in a direction practically radial to such cheese-carrying board, a'scale carried by such operating element arranged to be concealed within the machine when such element is in its inmost position and means for locking such operating element in its inmost position.

8. In a cheese-cutting machine, a revoluble cheese-carryin board, mechanism for moving such boar angularly on its center, for actuating such mechanism an operating element arranged to reciprocate in a direction practically radial to such cheese-carrying board, a scale carried by such operating element arranged to be concealed within the machine when such element is in its inmost position, means for locking such operating element in its inmost position and for limiting the motion of such operating element an adjustable screw-stop and cooperating therewith a member arranged to be actuated by such operating element.-

9. In a cheese-cutting machine, a revoluble cheese-carrying board, mechanism for moving such board angularly on its center, for actuating such mechanism an operating element arranged to reciprocate in a direction practically radial to such cheese-carrying board, means for gaging and limiting the motion of such mechanism comprising a threaded element and an element fixed relatively thereto, such threaded element and such fixed element carrying cooperating scales whereby the scale on such fixed mem ber is adapted to gage the longitudinal travel of such threaded member while the angular motion of such threaded member is indicated by the scale thereon cooperating with a line on such fixed member parallel with the axis of such threaded member, and a scale carried by such 0 erating element and arranged to be concea ed within the machine when such element is in its inmost position.

10. In a cheese-cutting machine, a revoluble cheese-carrying board, mechanism for moving such board angularly on its center and for actuating such mechanism an operatlng element, such operating element carrying a scale arranged to be concealed within the machine when such operating element is when such cutting-knife is down upon the.

cheese-carrying table.

13. In a cheese-cutting machine, a revoluble cheese-carrylng table and means for imparting angular motion thereto, a cuttingknife and a handle therefor, such handle connected to such knife by a member encircling the machine on one or both sides and lying normally, when in its downmost position, in

front of and below the plane of such cheesecarrying table. 4'

ARTHUR 0. LA MAY. Witnesses:

ALBERT C. BELL, CLARA M. SIENER. 

